i am very glad i had this surgery.
two months out, i don't regret the stress or suffering a darn-tootin' second! (despite all my boo-hooing on this blog.)
it is so wonderful to have my bite be straight and to have my teeth touch down nice and even on both sides. it used to be clamping hard-pressure on one side and gaping nothingness on the other side. this is hard to describe poetically. it's fantastic, but not something you would appreciate or notice unless you were inside my head or had dental training. :D
also i am quite happy to not have my jaw slope down a lot on the one side; it makes me feel less self-conscious. over the past years, i developed the habit of cracking my knuckles up against the lower side - which actually started with me trying to "push up" the jaw and bring the open bite together. now i'm trying to rid myself of that pointless behavior, but when i do it, i am pleased not to feel a chin bump anymore.
i'm eating more and more like a normal person. i was a bit overzealous and indulged in a massive amount of chewy bread last night and am paying for it with sore joints today. but, am really getting there back to regular old existence.
i should be doing some firm massaging to loosen up where my chin and my bottom lip meet and the place where my top lip and my upper gum line meet (the scar tissue at the suture site is tight which restricts my lip closure). i'm also supposed to do some stretches to make my mouth open wider. the places where my jaw was broken have begun to re-fuse together and will continue to grow stronger, but i will remain blingy with my metal plateing unless i develop more infection.
it's so crazy to think about what all happened to my lower skull....
this year i had some big changes, namely a move across the country to a place where i didn't know a soul, a new job requiring a lot of skill set development, and of course this major facial surgery.
i an extremely appreciative that i had the means and support to make it all happen. these changes will improve my life for the rest of my days!
happy new year everyone!
Hi Kristin,
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for writing this blog! I'm so glad I found it and your results look absolutely amazing! I'm 25 and have finally decided to pursue orthognathic surgery. I have the EXACT same problem you did. My lower jaw is asymmetrical, which causes my midline to be off-center. This asymmetry also affects my upper jaw by causing it to compensate for the asymmetry. The left side of my mandible is slightly longer than the right side, which causes my chin to tilt to the right. I've been to 3 different orthognathic surgeons, who all tell me I need upper and lower jaw surgery to correct the asymmetry. However, like you, I don't need braces because my bite is good and can be fixed with surgery alone. I've only seen orthognathic surgery performed in conjunction with braces, so I was wondering if you were given the option of wearing braces? Did you also have surgery on both jaws? I'm looking into UCLA Dentistry to perform my surgery and your results make me feel more confident about choosing to go with a dental school.
Congrats on having a symmetrical jaw! :D
-Kelly
hi kelly, i did have both upper and lower surgery. i was given the option of braces with the advice that it could make things closer to PERFECT because then they could adjust the placement of the teeth further post-surgery. but the ortho flat out said that i really didn't need them, and i decided the cost, time involved and the whole braces-pain-in-the-butt factor wasn't worth it. (plus i figured if i really wanted later i could get them, or do invisalign or something.)
Deleteyea, i was totally happy with going with the dental school. i am 100% happy with the care i got from the residents and i think maybe cared more than an old "pro" about my concerns. they had a great balance of using their own knowledge but also deflecting to the professor for the big stuff.
ps let me know if you have more questions i am happy to discuss!
ReplyDeleteAhhh you responded! And posted pictures! Your jaw did exactly the same thing mine does...the angles are exactly the same. I cannot believe I found someone else with this problem! I've always felt abnormal because of my jaw and I'm jumping for joy knowing that it's fixable. I have an initial consultation with a faculty member at UCLA in February and I'll ask about the option of going without braces. My other oral surgeons have told me that my bite is near perfect.
DeleteThank you for being so open with your surgery and sharing your photos online! I don't want to overload you with questions but I am really curious about cost. I have Anthem and I'm hoping my insurance will cover at least part of the surgery. I don't really know what to say to them to convince them that it's medically necessary and the people at UCLA aren't exactly the most helpful when fighting on my behalf for coverage. Could you tell me what your total cost would have been without insurance coverage? My email is oldmeanlady@yahoo.com
Thank you, thank you!